How Do You Know When It's Time to Upgrade?

You know that feeling when you have something important in your calendar and your hair is not doing what you want anymore? You’ll get yourself that hairdresser’s appointment, no matter what. When your company’s website isn’t looking or performing at its best, you should consider it just as urgent a problem. It might not be delivering all the value it could and it might well be time for an upgrade.

“You never get a second chance to make a first impression.”

First impressions count for establishing good relationships with potential customers. In an instant (well, maybe in seven seconds), visitors decide how they feel about your website and therefore your business. Creating and maintaining a modern, high-quality website that reflects your brand and how you do business is your only chance on this front.

With technology moving and changing so fast nowadays, your website remains a key factor in your success. So let’s talk about how you can know what it needs?

a little trim on the sides (running security checks and minor updates)?

a full haircut (stretching the haircut metaphor here, but in that case, we’d be talking about upgrading up to a newer major version of your CMS)?

or a completely new style and color (relaunching your company’s website with new features and functionality on the latest technology, capable of all those things you’ve been dreaming about doing with your site)?

How do you know your website is due for a trim? Or a whole new hairdo?

There is no one-size-fits-all timing when it comes to adding or changing the features of your business website. But every website, running on every technology, will need regular attention. Powerful, open source software like the TYPO3 CMS can power sites reliably for years, but it still needs regular checking and updating. Here are some things you’ll want to take into account when deciding how and when to update your website in a professional and timely manner.

Ask yourself these questions:

“Is my website secure?” Maintaining the “health” of your website is crucial and knowing that it is running securely is the most important question of all. Software updates keep security bugs at bay and you need to keep your website up-to-date at all times. You’ll also want to know the exact, official support periods of the software you’re using to be able to plan essential updates and upgrades in good time. If you’re using TYPO3 CMS, check out the TYPO3 CMS roadmap for exact support dates.

“Does my site look good everywhere?” Are you embarrassed to give people your URL? Does your site look terrible on a mobile device, for example? Web technology and standards develop so rapidly, that what’s new today is left behind tomorrow. That being said, it’s also important to evaluate new technologies before adopting them. Not every new trend is going to last or bring value to your company. But some trends will make it in the long run and they’re the ones you need to get on board with. Responsive web design–that makes your site look great on any screen–is one of them.

“Is my site easy for us to use and get our work done?” One of the biggest advantages of using a content management system is that once it is set up, you don’t need technical training to create, control, and manage your website’s content and workflows. Everyone’s job should be made easier by your CMS in the end: authors, moderators, shop managers, and so on.

“Is my website performing well?” If your search traffic has declined it’s time to investigate why. There are a number of tools that help you to look at your own site the way that search engines do. Google Analytics is one of them. One factor in search engine ranking is the time it takes for a page and a site to load (another is how it is displayed on mobile devices). If yours is slow (or not responsive), something needs to be done about it.

Who to turn to when your website needs an update

If you’ve answered “no” to any of the questions above, then your website probably needs attention. Give your digital agency a call and figure out a plan. They can also help you find out more about the advantages of using a CMS and TYPO3 CMS’s unique features and advantages.

TYPO3 GmbH can help you in finding a qualified partner to work with, backed by our support and quality guarantees. And if you’re still undecided as to whether or not the time for an update has come, we’ll gladly give you a helping hand in finding the right answer.

With TYPO3 8.7 being rolled out in April 2017, the 3-year cycle of TYPO3 6.2 drew to an end. This means community-based security fixes for TYPO3 6.2 were discontinued, leaving users with three options:

upgrading to either TYPO3 v7.6 or v8.7

relaunching on either TYPO3 v7.6 or v8.7

purchasing TYPO3 GmbH Extended Long Term Support (ELTS) for TYPO3 6.2. TYPO3 GmbH’s ELTS provides security updates and compatibility fixes for up to 24 months. It can be booked for a single year or for two years, giving you a total support period of altogether 5 years for TYPO3 CMS 6.2 LTS.

Migrating to TYPO3 CMS 7.6 or 8.7 should be your first choice (and this is most likely what your TYPO3 agency partner or freelancer is recommending to you). While ELTS extended support does not remove the need to upgrade in the end, it does keep you up and running securely for longer. You’ll have time to plan the new website you want while getting a sound night’s sleep. Feel free to contact us if we can be of assistance in any way.